“Midnight in Paris”, 2011
Director: Woody Allen
Directed by Woody Allen, this film blends fantasy and nostalgia as a modern-day writer magically travels back to the 1920s in Paris, where he mingles with iconic figures like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Léa Seydoux, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Adrien Brody, Corey Stoll;
Production year: 2011;
Genre: fantasy, melodrama, comedy;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 94 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,6;
More information about the film “Midnight in Paris” on the website imdb.com
“Chicago”, 2002
Director: Rob Marshall
Set in the 1920s, this musical film tells the story of Roxie Hart, a jazz-age chorus girl who becomes a celebrity criminal after killing her lover in Chicago.
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs, Dominic West, Lucy Liu, Colm Feore;
Production year: 2002;
Genre: musical, comedy, crime;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 113 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,2;
More information about the film “Chicago” on the website imdb.com
“The Artist”, 2011
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
A silent black-and-white film that pays homage to the silent film era of the 1920s, following the story of a silent movie star facing the transition to talkies.
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Joel Murray, Elizabeth Tulloch, Uggie, Malcolm McDowell;
Production year: 2011;
Genre: drama, melodrama, comedy;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 96 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,9;
More information about the film “The Artist” on the website imdb.com
“Boardwalk Empire”, 2010
Director: Timothy Van Patten, Allen Coulter, Jeremy Podeswa, Edward Bianchi
While not a film but a TV series, “Boardwalk Empire” is set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era of the 1920s, focusing on political figure Enoch “Nucky” Thompson and the criminal underworld.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Aleksa Palladino, Michael Stuhlbarg, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Jack Huston;
Production year: 2010;
Genre: drama, crime;
Age: 18+;
Rating: IMDB: 8,6;
“Changeling”, 2008
Director: Clint Eastwood
Based on a true story, this film is set in Los Angeles in the late 1920s and follows a mother's fight against corruption in the LAPD after her son goes missing.
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Gattlin Griffith, Michael Kelly, Peter Gerety, Colm Feore, Jason Butler Harner, Amy Ryan, Denis O'Hare;
Production year: 2008;
Genre: thriller, drama, crime, detective, biography, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 141 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,8;
More information about the film “Changeling” on the website imdb.com
These films offer a glimpse into the glamour, excess, and turmoil of the 1920s, capturing the essence of a transformative decade in history.
In conclusion, films about the 1920s encapsulate the spirit of a transformative era marked by societal change, cultural upheaval, and economic prosperity. Through a blend of historical accuracy and artistic interpretation, these films transport audiences back in time to experience the glitz and glamour, as well as the darker undercurrents, of the Roaring Twenties. From iconic figures like flappers and mobsters to the rise of jazz music and Prohibition, these films offer a window into a pivotal period in history that continues to captivate and resonate with viewers today.
